Notes:

There's way more interest in this than I thought there would be lol For those of you that know me, (And I mean if you suffered 400k words of mine, at this point, you do lol), I'm flattered that you have faith in me. For those of you that have had nothing to do with me and you're going in blind, I hope you enjoy the thing, it will all be a surprise haha I hope you like it guys ~

First chapter is short so I can give you a thing before my birthday. I like ya'll so much I didn't make you wait until Monday for the thing.

Ganbarimasu!

Blackout

-xxx-

Kurosaki Ichigo

"I'm so pleased you could join us, Kurosaki-san."

"I'm not," Ichigo said. He thought he did a decent job keeping his voice level, especially with the sudden shove of his hollow up against the back of his thoughts. It made his teeth itch and his muscles tight with the urge to fight. "What do you want?"

Aizen leaned on his hand, that arrogant smirk widening into a knowing look. It pissed Ichigo off that Aizen thought he knew him, had him figured out. Maybe he did, but the smug bastard didn't have to flaunt it.

Aizen said, "To talk, ryoka boy. But first..." His eyes slipped to Gin, and the fox sauntered up to him, always grinning. What he wouldn't give to wipe that grin off his face. He shuddered at the force of that drive, the sudden urge to not just fantasize about curb stomping him, but following through with it. It hit him with a force he wasn't prepared for.

Gin whistled. "That's a scary look. Hold that thought."

Ichigo thought that was a strange thing to say, scowling at the hand Gin held out to him. He wasn't sure what he wanted, so he just stared at him. Gin sighed and gestured just a little harder. "Hand it over, kid."

"Hand over what?" Ichigo asked, feeling a bit lost, and wondering if that was his intention, or if he was just that stupid.

Gin made a disappointed sound and explained, "The badge."

Badge...His substitute badge? He hesitated, then took the small amulet from his pocket, running his fingers over well worn wood with a contemplative frown. His eyes flicked back up to Gin's and he asked, "Why?"

Aizen answered instead, an edge of condescension in his tone, as if he were explaining something simple to a child. "Because, ryoka boy, I asked you here to speak with you, not the Gotei 13."

Ichigo blinked, then stared down at the badge. He wasn't an idiot, he knew what that meant. They were spying on him? He tried to reason it away, but no matter how he sliced it, it still stung. His feelings about Rukia remained the same, but a sudden paranoia blanketed his memories of the rest of the Gotei 13. Renji was Rukia's childhood friend, he thought he could trust him, but did they know?

Eyes turning back to Aizen, that smug smirk on his face made Ichigo think that was intentional on the shinigami's part. What was he supposed to do, refuse to hand it over? Then he'd be faced with the humiliating reality of having it taken from him, and if Soul Society was using it to spy on him, did he even want it? Tricky bastard.

Hesitant, Ichigo handed the badge over to Gin. The shinigami gingerly took in from him, careful not to touch him, and destroyed it, turning it to ash with a well placed burst of reiatsu.

Ichigo clenched his jaw, feeling like the destruction of that badge had severed whatever ties he'd held with Soul Society, no matter how weak. It was a bit frightening to have something he'd come to expect and rely on be taken from him, just like that.

"Now that we have some well-deserved privacy," Aizen said, "Soul Society is aware of what you are. You let the reigns slip in a fight with one of their most loyal captains. Don't tell me you didn't think there would be consequences?"

Byakuya. Losing control was...frightening, it's what started all of this.

"That fight was mine. MINE!"

Ichigo resisted the urge to reach for his head, shouting back. 'SHUT UP!'

No one had brought it up, Soul Society on a whole just acted as if it never happened, and Ichigo tried not to put too much thought into why. He decided to play stupid, even if he didn't see an outcome where Aizen knew less than he did. Maybe Aizen give him too much credit and spill something he didn't know? Ichigo could only hope. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't you?" Aizen purred his words, playing along with his like. "You don't wonder why your reiatsu is unreliable? Why you can't finish a fight without freezing up?"

Ichigo felt his heart start to race and he lied. "No, I don't."

It was clear Aizen knew he was lying, but rather than call his bluff, his eyes shifted to Gin. "If you would."

Gin reached for his Zanpakuto and Ichigo skipped back, reaching back to draw his own. Gin moved slower than he was capable of, Ichigo saw the ex-captain allow enough time for him to draw his own sword from his back. He was aiming to kill, but he was holding back. Their swords clashed, and Gin started to pressure him, swinging faster than Ichigo could block or dodge, not when his mind was divided, when his body was sluggish, his hollow fighting him for control.

Ichigo felt a wash of shame; this shouldn't be so difficult, the shinigami wasn't even in shikai.

"So let me, let me fight!"

His hollow shoved and he froze up, hands tightening on his sword. Nonono.

Ichigo saw Gin move, but he acted too slowly, and he felt Gin's sword touch his throat. The shinigami let out a sound of disgust. "Tsk, you let it get this bad?"

Ichigo spurred himself to action, throwing Zangetsu out in a backhand swing. Gin casually blocked it, then rushed in again, punishing him for he slowness. Gin's sword cut into his upper arm to the bone, wringing a growl of pain out of him, and a flash of anger.

"LET ME OUT! YOU'RE LOSING!"

'No!'

Ichigo lost the sight in his right eye and Gin took advantage, assaulting him from his blind side. The shinigami's wakizashi landed shallow cute, but there were many, and each was laced with the sting of reiatsu. Gin cut his chest, then his side, not allowing him a second to orient himself. Ichigo's back struck a wall, finally out of room to run, and his vision went dark.

He felt his own reiatsu surge, the sudden ecstasy of freedom, of reveling in his own power, and he was suddenly conscious again. He stared down at Gin, realizing his hands were around Gin's throat, loose enough Gin could breath, but clearly that was a recent development. The bastard was still smiling, watching him curiously through slitted eyes.

Ichigo swallowed, and he felt the cool tip of a blade at the hollow of his own throat. Without moving too quickly, Ichigo looked back, catching sight of Tousen in his peripheral.

He couldn't read the blind shinigami at all, but that had little to do with the fact that he couldn't see his eyes. It was clear if Aizen wanted him dead, he would be.

Ichigo uncurled his hands from Gin's throat, taking a small step backwards, and Tousen sheathed his sword, standing like a silent sentinel behind him. He felt empty handed, conspicuously tightening his hands around nothing. He looked back, realizing he'd dropped Zangetsu, or rather, his hollow hadn't needed it.

Staring at his abandoned sword, Ichigo felt dread settle in his guts. He thought using Zangetsu made it worse, but he hadn't even been holding it.

"Shall we continue?" Aizen asked. Ichigo ground his teeth together at the condescension in his voice. He'd gotten his ass handed to him, and proven Aizen's point ten times over.

Turning to face him, Ichigo blocked out the sting of the cuts Gin had left him and asked, "What do you want?"

Aizen's smile widened a fraction, and it was clear he'd been waiting for that question from the beginning. The shinigami answered smoothly, "To help you, ryoka boy."

Ichigo snorted, not believing him for a second. Aizen's eyes glittered in amusement. "I don't believe I saw Soul Society extend a hand, but perhaps I'm wrong?"

It both hurt and annoyed him that the man was right, Soul Society knew, and they did nothing. If they really were spying on him, then they probably knew more than most, and he hadn't heard so much as a whisper.

Ichigo could tell Aizen to fuck off, but the fact remained that he did need help. Sooner rather than later, his hollow was going to take control, and ignoring the problem wasn't working. He asked, "Why would you do that?"

Aizen stood, and just like that moment on Sokyoku Hill, Aizen disappeared from his sight, reappearing only a foot away. Ichigo swayed back on his heels and tried not to let it show, but Aizen was frightening. The shinigami was strong, and the man was quietly reminding him that he was wildly outmatched.

Taking a step closer into his personal space, Ichigo noticed Aizen was taller. He tried not to let it intimidate him, but swordless, bleeding, and in enemy territory, he thought he was failing. Aizen said, "I don't suppose you would believe me if I told you it was out of the goodness of my heart."

Ichigo tightened his jaw. "No, I don't think I would."

Without taking his eyes from Ichigo's, Aizen said, "Gin, if you would bring the boy his sword."

Ichigo tried not to grimace at the tone he used, as if he was a child that had misplaced a toy. Damn this man.

Aizen waited until Gin handed him his sword, the man seemingly not put out by being reduced to fetch. Aizen waited until the sword was replaced on his back before he continued, "You aren't weak, boy, but you aren't strong either. What you have is potential. You can't grow into it if your hollow consumes you."

Ichigo settled on a new question. "What's the catch?"

Aizen's lips twitched into a small smirk. "So young, yet so jaded." He inclined his head and said, "For the foreseeable future, you are my guest. Welcome to Las Noches."

A chill settled in Ichigo's blood. So he was stuck here, Aizen's prisoner until further notice, or until...he tried not to think about dying, it just wasn't productive. "Fine."

Aizen watched him curiously and said, "Interesting."

"What?" Ichigo snapped.

"I thought I might encounter more resistance," Aizen's shoulders twitched into a shrug. "You've surprised me."

"You have something I want. I'm not done with you," Ichigo snarled, feeling the grip of anger that was definitely his, but it was backed by something that was growing increasingly difficult to deny.

Chuckling, Aizen stepped forward, and Ichigo instinctively backed out of his way as the shinigami made to leave. "Gin will explain the rules I expect you to follow. Do be on your best behavior."

That sounded like something of a threat. He sounded polite, but he hadn't forgotten nearly being bisected on Sokyoku Hill. This man was deadly, and he was strong enough to pull one over on the entirety of the Gotei 13.

Gin dropped a hand on his shoulder and Ichigo visibly stiffened, shrugging off his hand and backing away to keep the creep in his sight. Gin's smirk widened, throwing up his hands defensively. "Aww, don't be like that. We're practically coworkers."

Tousen left, and despite saying nothing, Ichigo felt the disapproval on the man. That was fine, he didn't like any of these people. His eyes flicked back to Gin and he curled his lips back in disgust. "That's too generous."

Shrugging, Gin started for the hall, and Ichigo realized Aizen was gone. The shinigami said, "The main rules are: don't leave Las Noches, don't destroy Las Noches, and don't kill anyone; easy."

Ichigo had no real reason to be difficult, so he followed after him, asking, "That's it?"

Gin looked back at him, clearly unconcerned with having him at his back. "This is the world of hollows, were you expecting an entire corpus of law?"

Ichigo frowned, feeling like he was being mocked again. "So I can go wherever I want?"

Gin turned again and gave him an undetermined gesture. "Within reason. You're certainly welcome to try to go into Aizen-sama's room, but I don't recommend it." That was definitely not where Ichigo wanted to go, he wanted to be as far away from there as physically feasible. Although, he wasn't even sure someone like Aizen slept, seeing a bed might confirm he was actually alive.

Gin continued, "There is one room you can't go into, and you'll know, because it's locked."

Knowing what he did about Aizen, and all the shit he'd gone through to take the Hogyoku from Rukia's soul, it really only left one explanation. Ichigo frowned and asked, "The Hogyoku?"

Looking back, Gin smiled. "You do pay attention."

Ichigo changed the subject, not wanting to linger on condescension. "Where are you taking me?"

"To your escort," Gin answered cheerfully.

Ichigo felt again like a glorified prisoner, dully repeating, "Escort…"

"Hollows are opportunistic, violent creatures, and currently, Kurosaki-san," Gin glanced back, "you are weak."

Those words stabbed into his chest like a dagger, his hands tightening into fists. Gin was right, and hating him for it wouldn't fix the problem. He had to fix himself, he had to get stronger. Only then could he focus on escape.

They didn't have to walk far before Gin led him into a smaller room off from the hallway. Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise. The Espada that very nearly killed Rukia and himself leaned casually against a wall, looking both irritated and deathly bored. Rukia almost ended up dead and he'd almost lost the use of his hand, that was a fight...if it could be called a fight, that he wasn't ever going to forget. Grimmjow.

The arrancar's attitude changed when his eyes landed on Ichigo.

"I believe both of ya have met," Gin said ruefully.

The blue haired arrancar pushed away from the wall, pinning Ichigo with a mocking smirk. "Getting your ass kicked by everyone, aren't you, Kurosaki?"

Grimmjow wasn't wrong, and fuck him, he wanted to hurt him back, so Ichigo went for a low blow. "What happened to your arm?"

A bit of the joy was sucked out of Grimmjow, his expression growing to be just a touch more murderous. "Didn't need it."

Sure. Ichigo glared at Gin, and demanded, "You've got to be kidding me, why him?"

Ichigo's irritation bounced right off the shinigami. "Grimmjow-san was just demoted." That word seemed to piss off Grimmjow as much as the word 'boy' pissed off Ichigo. Gin shrugged, still eerily cheerful. "He also volunteered."

"Yeah," Ichigo snapped, "To kill me."

Grimmjow's smirk was back, like it had never left. "Only need one arm to kill your scrawny ass, but I can't do it if you eat shit and die before I get to."

It was the most caringly psycho thing Ichigo thought he'd ever heard directed at him, his expression torn between disbelief and resolve. If this asshole wanted to fight, he'd fight him all damn day. After he took care of his hollow, if that was even possible. Aizen led him to believe that it was.

Gin spoke to Grimmjow as if he was reinforcing what was already said. "Aizen-sama wants him alive."

"For now," Grimmjow growled, sounding a bit too hopeful for Ichigo's tastes.

"Alive, Grimmjow-san." Gin turned to go and waved goodbye. "You kids have fun."

Ichigo wasn't a coward, but he couldn't say he was thrilled to be passed off from the hands of a creep into the hands of a psycho.

Grimmjow's smile widened with rolling laughter that didn't sound entirely sane. "Yeah, this is gonna be fun."

-xxx-

I wrote *gasp* GRIMMJOW. Raise your hand if you're surprised. I'm not sorry.

No paaaiirrrings, as a reminder, just people kicking the ever loving fuck out of each other.

Alsssooo, we've all seen the show, and if you clicked on this fic, I'm sure you've seen his inner hollow fight a thousand times. Should I write it from an outsider's perspective to keep from blandly rehashing the show? (There was already some dialogue that I had to grab for this chapter and booooo I don't like doing it) Let me know what ya'll think, I don't want to bore you (or myself lol)

-xxx-

Rankings

Aizen Sousuke

Kaname Tōsen & Gin Ichimaru

Espada

0: Yammy Llargo

1: Coyote Starrk & Lilynette Gingerbuck

2: Baraggan Louisenbairn

3: Tier Harribel (former: Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck)

4: Ulquiorra Cifer

5: Nnoitra Gilga

6: Luppi Antenor

7: Zommari Rureaux

8: Szayelaporro Granz

9: Aaroniero Arruruerie